Bien Cuit — Restaurant in New York

We were beyond excited for its opening. We had always thought that this part of Franklin Ave needed its own bakery shop and now we were finally having it!!! So when we first stepped in the shop right before thanksgiving, we were filled with joy and ready to indulge in the infamous bread or yummy croissants... Then, we realized immediately that something was missing!!

The shop has its own industrial oven in the front of space facing the street with the baker working right behind the window, a very good marketing tactic to add an authenticity and a flare of craftsmanship. But it probably did such a great job with ventilation that there was barely any smell, the type of bakery smell that is so yummy that draws you in when passing by ... With our noses feeling a slight disappointment, we proceeded with enough curiosity to the counter and started to look for something to try. Then, after looking through the carefully and yet sparsely placed pastries and croissants, we encountered a puzzled situation: there was no prices. Upon inquiring, we found that pastries range from $5 and up with a plain croissant costed a little shy of $5 and a croissant sandwich with turkey and cheese was $11. Half loaf is about $8 on average.

We tried a croissant and a pastry. None of them were impressive enough for a 2nd time. Couple weeks later, we were passing by the shop and decided to try couple of other things to make sure that we don’t miss some hidden gems. We bought a small baguette and 2 different pastries (don’t even remember what they were). There are just nothing worthy mentioning. Yeah! That was the problem: the entire shop was just so blah! The layout of shop was impersonal, the wall in the back was dirty, the lighting was cold, the displayed products often miss pricing, the place doesn’t smell like a bakery, the staffs behind the counter knows little about their own products, the pastries and the bread just don’t taste yummy: they are dry, lack of flavor and pretty to look at.

We wanted so much to fall in love with Bien Cuit but walked away twice with...

It's Thanksgiving 2019, so this review of appreciation is aptly timed. I pre-ordered a Thanksgiving pie from the Franklin location, and wasn't aware they were closing early afternoon. I had arranged with the location staff that I would be there while they were closing and cleaning up, but when I arrived, they had already closed for the holiday. My family and friends were super excited about the exotic Miso Caramel Pumpkin pie, so I was bummed to disappoint them. I wrote an email to Bien Cuit requesting a refund, and expected to maybe hear back next week after the holiday. Instead, within less than an hour, I had an email reply from the founder herself. She was extremely apologetic and offered to deliver the pie to my home. Less than an hour later, the pie was personally delivered. On Thanksgiving. The level of customer service, generosity and above and beyond handling of my order was heartwarming. This is why I love small, independent businesses like Bien Cuit. I certainly didn't anticipate this kindness and am forever grateful for it - I'll be a Bien Cuit customer for life! Thank you Kate, this meant the...

Terrible customer service!

As a neighborhood local, I’ve enjoyed coming here and liked having a bakery nearby. I used to walk by often with my dog (26 pounds) while walking my fiancé to the subway, then take the dog home and return for food. I asked them one day (sans dog) if dogs were allowed inside for takeout orders. I was told ABSOLUTELY YES and was even told thanks for asking. I’ve continued going in the mornings for a quick drop in several times during the week with my calm dog in tow. I’m a huge advocate of supporting local business and many business owners know me on Franklin given my frequent stops.

Today I was told, rudely, that dogs were not allowed inside and that I needed to keep her outside. They have no signs posted and told me the opposite. I never take my dog where they aren’t welcome, and the aggression and rudeness - especially when my dog was not a disturbance to anyone - was extremely upsetting.

I’ll never purchase anything from here again. If you have a no dog policy - post it, and don’t tell your customers they are VERY welcome one month and then ask them to...